Georgian transliteration writes Georgian characters with Latin letters. It can help you get started, but it is a reading aid rather than English spelling. A sequence such as kh or sh may stand for one Georgian letter, and an apostrophe may carry an important sound distinction.
Use transliteration to check a word after trying the Georgian. If you always read the Latin line first, you can learn the hint while barely looking at the script. Keep both available at first, then cover the Latin line for a second attempt.
Why one word can have several Latin spellings
Different systems were designed for different purposes. Maps, library catalogues, and language courses do not necessarily use the same notation. Informal spellings may omit marks that a formal system preserves. Before comparing two spellings, find out which convention each source uses.
This guide uses a beginner rendering based on the Georgian national system documented in the UNGEGN working-group report: sh, ch, ts, dz, kh, gh, and zh are letter combinations, and an apostrophe marks an ejective. Here it is printed as ’. The app’s existing pronunciation hints may use other symbols, including ʰ for aspiration.
Read the marks before comparing systems
A useful comparison is the treatment of three consonants. The Library of Congress 2011 table uses a different convention from the national system. These are transliteration choices, not changes in the Georgian letters themselves.
| Georgian | National-style hint here | ALA-LC 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| თ | t | tʻ |
| ტ | t’ | t |
| შ | sh | š |
Do not move an apostrophe from one source into another without checking its meaning. In our hints it is not a stress mark and does not tell you to pause. The pronunciation distinction belongs to the consonant.
Five useful multi-letter hints
| Georgian | Latin hint | Meaning / note |
|---|---|---|
| შ | sh | One Georgian letter |
| ჩ | ch | One Georgian letter |
| ხ | kh | One Georgian letter |
| ღ | gh | One Georgian letter |
| ძ | dz | One Georgian letter |
Read ხე as khe: kh represents ხ, and e represents ე. It has two Georgian letters, not three. Likewise, შვიდი begins with the single letter შ. A Latin hint can look longer than the original word because it uses more characters to represent a sound.
There is a limit to what the hint can teach. English kh and gh do not have one reliable everyday pronunciation. Use the recordings in the pronunciation guide to hear those sounds. Transliteration alone cannot confirm that your pronunciation matches them.
Read with progressively fewer hints
First read the full pairs below. Then cover the middle column and try the Georgian again. Finally, close this section and read the words in the next exercise. This changes the support, not the vocabulary, so you can concentrate on recognizing letters.
| Georgian | Latin hint | Meaning / note |
|---|---|---|
| სამი | sami | three |
| ხე | khe | tree |
| შვიდი | shvidi | seven |
| კატა | k’at’a | cat |
| წიგნი | ts’igni | book |
Now try წიგნი · სამი · კატა · ხე · შვიდი. Write the Latin hints on paper before checking. The order has changed deliberately: recognizing a word should not depend on its position in a list.
Check your answers
In order: ts’igni, sami, k’at’a, khe, shvidi. The meanings are book, three, cat, tree, and seven. If you missed a character, check it in the alphabet chart before repeating the whole word.
When to hide the Latin line
You do not need a fixed deadline. Hide it for words whose letters you recognize, then restore it briefly when you get stuck. Keep listening alongside reading. On an unfamiliar sign or a new word, compare the original Georgian rather than assuming an informal Latin spelling preserves every distinction.
Continue with the illustrated sign lesson or the 20-word practice. Tbilingo’s vocabulary hints can support your practice; try looking at the Georgian before relying on them.